So if you're wondering why it's so quiet here right now it's because I'm more active on my sideblog ( @marvelettesassemblenow ) as I'm currently writing for some Avengers. You can find it here and if you want to chat my messages are still always open đ
Summary: Fred Weasley x gryffindor!reader -> You and Fred have been friends for a long time. So long, in fact, that everyone in the school thinks you're dating. But when Ron accidentally spills love potion inside the common room, how long will it take before you both realise the truth depths of your feelings?
Disclaimer: Mostly friendship fluff, romance, completely oblivious idiots, acting like a married couple, Fred and Reader driving George absolutely insane. Hurt/comfort due to Umbridge, Fred takes care of reader, spooning.
There was a lot of evidence to suggest that yourself and Fred Weasley were lying about your relationship.Â
Claiming you were both âjust friendsâ fooled nobody. Especially those who lived with both of you in the Gryffindor Common Room.Â
First of all, it started with the small touches people started to notice.Â
Sure, you and Fred were like the best of friends. Always laughing, always joking. Despite you being more of the serious one in the relationship, the laughter was still very much alive. Which is more than can be said for your relationship with other people.Â
Outside of helping younger students face their fears from the likes of Professor Snape or the animals Hagrid took great care of, you didnât particularly talk to people. Apart from Fred â and from there, his friends.Â
Either way, nobody ever really came close to touching you. If anybody asked (particularly Fred) about your affliction with touching, you would have laughed. You didnât have anything against hugging, or leaning or holding hands. In fact, you came from a family of huggers.Â
It was justâŠunless somebody needed one, you mostly kept your distance.Â
Apart from when it came to Fred.Â
In third year when people were witnessing their boggarts, Fred could see the fear behind the brave face you put up. Instinctively, he reached out and held your hand. And youâŠdidnât let go.Â
In fourth year, when Ginny went missing and both Fred and George were losing their minds â George went in search of Ron whilst you stayed with Fred.Â
âFred, youâre sending me dizzy,â you muttered as he paced back and forth in front of the fire. âSomebody will find her. Sheâll be safe.â
âHow!? How could you possibly know that?!âÂ
On the edge of tears, you quickly stood up and hugged Fred. It was tight. But not suffocating.Â
âSheâll be safe.â You told him. âI just know it.â
âSheâs just a kid,â Fredâs voice was weak. âSheâsâŠsheâs my little sister.â
You swallowed hard. At that moment, somebody had to hold the other one up. So, you did. Staying by Fredâs side the whole time, you made sure he didnât tear a hole in the castle walls trying to find his sister.Â
In between the bigger moments, people bared witness to Fredâs arm draped over your shoulder when walking down the hall, or walking off the pitch after Quidditch. They noticed the way you always leaned into him when sitting on the sofa together, his arm across the back of you.Â
They spotted the hand you kept on Fredâs shoulder when he wanted to bang his head against the desk during study prep for his OWLs. They also spotted how, in the Great Hall, youâd lean on each other from time to time, mostly when you were too tired to keep your heads up.Â
Then came the Christmas Fred brought you along to the Burrow.Â
Even Molly and Arthur were convinced you were dating.Â
The longing looks despite being sat opposite one another at the table. The brief touches as you brushed past each other in the kitchen. The way you knew the difference between the Twins; Molly and Arthur were their parents and even they struggled sometimes.Â
Then came the quick flash they caught of you both under the mistletoe. For weeks the entire family debated whether youâd kissed Fredâs cheek like you said, or if youâd shared a quick kiss and were still trying to lead people astray from the truth.Â
More evidence accumulated over the years from the âlove notesâ being sent between both yourself and Fred during the summer break, to the way Fred danced with you at the Yule Ball despite asking somebody else.Â
The final nail in the coffin came when Ron accidentally smashed a vial of Amortentia, or more commonly known as a love potion. Meant to smell as the things you find most attractive, plenty of Gryffindors walked in asking why the common room smelled of everything; from fresh parchment and lilies, to sea water and Hippogriff manure.Â
But the most interesting exclamation came from you.Â
âSweet Merlin!â you exclaimed as you opened the common room door. The smell hit you in the face worse than any bludger did during midnight quidditch. âHoly- When did Fred spill a bottle of his cologne?âÂ
Fred wasnât even in the room.Â
But George was. As was Harry, Hermione, Ron and half a dozen other Gryffindor students.Â
âIs it getting stronger?â You asked as you passed the group on the way towards your dormitory to get changed.Â
Everyoneâs eyes followed you and once the door closed, they all turned back to the damp spot in the carpet in front of the fire.Â
You were in love with Fred.
âYou donât thinkâŠâ Harry started before turning to Ron.Â
âNo. It couldnât possiblyâŠcould it?â
They all looked at George, whose attention fell on the door as Fred finally joined them.Â
âWeâre about to find out,â he whispered.Â
Looking as if heâd just been hit in the face with an invisible bludger, Fred scrunched his nose.Â
âDoes it smell funny to you in here, George?â
Everyone looked at him. âUhhâŠnot really. Why do you ask?â
Fred shrugged, laying his robes over the back of a chair. âJust smellsâŠâ
âBad?â
Fred shook his head. âNo. ItâŠâ Fred was shocked at his own revelation. âIt kinda smells like someone bottled up the Quidditch pitch back at home. AndâŠâ Fred sniffed again. âAnd-â
Suddenly, at the top of the stairs, you appeared again. Dressed in normal clothing, you hopped down the stairs.Â
âY/n, what were those muggle cakes we made over the summer?â
Both yourself and Fred were oblivious to everybodyâs eyes widening.Â
âWhat cakes?â You asked as you searched the common room for something.
âThe ones that I burned my hands on.â
âOh, salted caramel and raspberry.â
Fred nodded, looking back to his brother. âThem.â
âWhat about them?â You were still searching for something.Â
âI can smell them,â Fred told you, nonchalantly.Â
âFunny, all I can smell is you.â
Fred furrowed his brows before smelling himself. âFunny, I havenât had Quidditch practice today and what are you looking for?â
âNot you,â you sighed, lifting the cushion but finding nothing underneath it. âYou smell fine,â you told him. âYour cologne. Did you spill a bottle? Where the hell are my glasses?â
As you walked past him, Fred reached out and pulled you back in front of him. âCheck your head, love.â
Reaching up, a wave of relief went through you. âOh, thank Merlin.â
âAnd, no, I didnât spill a bottle. Though, I guess I could ask you the same.â
Puzzled and looking at each other, you tried to figure out what the hell he meant. But when you both turned to everyone else, they pretended to be preoccupied with, quite literally, anything else. George even took up whistling.Â
âIâve gotta go, Sprout is waiting for me. Bye guys.â
âBye!â
âSee ya!â
âYeah, bye.â
Fred chuckled, nodding to the door. âWeird one, that one.â
George and everyone chuckled as Fred went to get dressed, but the minute the door closed, they all looked at one another.Â
âThey have to know?â Hermione pointed out. âDonât they?â
âIt didnât look like it.â
âThe pair of them are idiots,â George said. âMaybe thatâs why theyâre so well suited.â
âOr maybe theyâre playing us.â Hermione added. âIt could all just be an act.â
George looked over to her and shook his head. âFred tells me everything. He told me that theyâre not dating.â
George and the others watched on in agony for another year. Despite the amount of times you and Fred had denied it, everyone was still convinced you were dating.Â
Which all came to a head during seventh year Christmas.Â
Youâd had a rather gruelling detention with Umbridge, which continued on for three consecutive days after classes had finished.Â
First, it was because you spoke without raising your hand.Â
Next, it was because you slammed her office door shut as you left the first detention.Â
Then it was because you âstuck your noseâ into âprivateâ business between herself and a third year student she was reprimanding.Â
Your hands were scored to buggary, but the pain of knowing Umbridge was taking charge of the school was bigger than the cursed quill sheâd made you use.Â
âYou need something on these,â Fred whispered to you as he examined your hand. Youâd all been sitting, freezing, in the Hogâs Head for the last ten minutes, waiting for the final few people.Â
âIâll live, Fred.â
âYouâre freezing,â he said as he held your hand.Â
âGloves hurt too much to put on. Iâll be fine once we get back to the castle.â
Fred just shook his head, though. Engulfing your hand in his, he held your hand inside his pocket with his own.Â
By the time the first meeting of the newly named Dumbledoreâs Army was finished, you and Fred took your time walking back to the castle.Â
âI canât bear going back right now and seeing her strut around the place like she owns it.â
Fred paused for a moment. âFancy taking a walk to the shrieking shack?â
George being pulled away by Angelina Johnson and the others going on a hunt for a space to start their lessons, you and Fred took a detour to the Shrieking Shack.Â
Hurrying ahead of Fred, you sat on one of the rocks, picking up a pile of snow before pressing it into the back of your hand. It was freezing, but it helped stop the burn of the healing.Â
âYou know she uses pink sugar, too.â
âWhy donât I find that surprising?â
You nodded. âMy mum sent me a package the other day. Sheâs made a scarf. It had one row of pink in it and I sent it back. I canât even look at the colour anymore. Not without feeling sick.â
âIâm sorry she put you through that,â Fred said before clarifying. âUmbridge. Not you mum. Though, I suppose her, too. Even though she didnât know.â
You chuckled softly before leaning into Fred. On instinct, he raised his arm and pulled you closer before pressing a kiss to the top of your head.Â
âThanks.â
âI am taking you to Madam Pomfry when we get back, though. She regrew Harryâs bones. She has to have something to help those scars.â
You nodded, looking down at your hand long enough to read the sentences.Â
I must be quiet.
I must mind my manners.
Before you could read the others, Fred covered your hand with his own before lifting it and pressing a soft kiss to your skin.Â
âItâll get better. What with Harry teaching us and allâŠâ
âYeahâŠâ You looked up to Fred, him meeting your gaze. âI hope so.â
Fred smiled at you before pressing a kiss to your forehead as you eyes closed, trying your best to soak in the feeling of it being just you and him.Â
No school rules.Â
No torture.Â
No Umbridge.Â
JustâŠ
Peace.Â
True Peace.Â
âWell, donât you two look cosy,â George smiled as he entered the Gryffindor common room.Â
Youâd been lying on the floor with your head on Fredâs lap. Youâd just been starting to drift off; the mixture of Fred playing with your hair and his cologne still circling around the common room every now and again, was making you sleepy.Â
âYou know, itâs because of things like this that everyone thinks youâre dating,â George pointed out, hanging his coat and scarf by the door.Â
âLet emâ think what they want. Iâm comfy.âÂ
You heard Fred chuckle above you. âThereâs no-one Iâd rather be in a fake relationship than you, love.â
âThatâs nice to hear, dear.â
âSeriously, guys!â George couldnât help but laugh. âSeven years. Seven years of this. Please. For the love of all the good that is left in this dark, dark world. ADMIT IT. If not, START. For the love of Merlin.â
âJust because she chose the better looking twin.â
âYeah, Weasley. Donât get your knickers in a twist. If you want me to tell people Iâm dating you instead, Iâd happily oblige.â
âHey,â Fred called out. âYouâre fake-dating me, remember?â
You held back your smile. âHow could I forget? Such a handsome face,â you said as you reached up and met Fredâs gaze.Â
Both of you heard George groan before storming off to his dorm. âWhy do I even bother with you two?â
âBecause you love us.â
You both heard George groan again before shutting his door, the laughter you and Fred were sharing echoing around the room.Â
It was a few hours later when George came back downstairs to find the common room empty. Save for you and Fred whoâd fallen asleep on the floor by the fire.Â
âSpooning,â George let out in quiet shock.Â
It was driving him batty. Not knowing the truth which lay right in front of him, as well as having his own brother â his own twin â lie right to his face. It was driving him absolutely batty!
Usually if people fell asleep in the common room, theyâd magically find themselves in their beds, no doubt put there by the House Elves who would come round and clean in the middle of the night.Â
But when George came down the next morning, he found both yourself and Fred in the exact same position. Though he shouldnât have been surprised. The death grip Fred had around your middle was probably too strong to separate you both.Â
âOi!â
George kicked both of your feet, watching you wake up in shock.Â
âWhat time is it? Are we late for class?â
âI should hope not,â Fred mumbled. âItâs Sunday.â
âDid we stay down here all night?â
âSeems that way.â
âYouâre gonna be late for breakfast. Come on.â
Fred smiled at his brother as he helped him from the floor. âNot gonna ask how we slept, Georgie?â
George laughed. âI donât have to. You two looked pretty cosy.â
This time, Fred reached down and hauled you to your feet, catching you as you stumbled a little.Â
âAlright?â
You nodded, holding your head. âYeah. I think you need to use less cologne, though.â
âDid you squirt it up your nose or something?â Fred chuckled. âIâm not wearing any.â
That was when you caught the look on Georgeâs face. âWhatâs the guilty look for? What? Did you steal his? Oh, please donât tell me youâre planning on pulling a switch-a-roo on Umbridge?â
âWhat?â Both of them asked, genuinely shocked. âNo.â
âBut Y/nâs got a point. You are looking rather guilty.â
âNope. No guilt here. None whatsoever.â
âMe thinks thy lady doth protest too much.â
âWhat is it George?âÂ
A tired look from you and the persistent âtwinâ look from Fred had him cracking. âFred didnât spill his cologne.â
âDid you spill his cologne?â
George shook his head. âNo. But Ron did spillâŠâ George bit his lip for a moment. âLook, thereâs no use in hiding it anymore. Ron spilled a vial of love potion on the carpet last year. Thatâs why you can smell Fred all the time and that is why, Fred, you can smell Y/n when sheâs not even in the room.â
âWhat?â You both asked. âWhy didnât you tell us?â
âWe thought youâd figure it out!â
âFigure out what?âÂ
George wanted to scream. âOh for Merlinâs sake- You love each other, you complete and utter idiots! Love! Love potion! You only smell who youâre most attracted to and in love with!â George groaned. âAnd- oh, Iâm not explaining this to you. Come and find us when youâve figured it out.â
As George left the common room, he looked like he should have been walking straight back to bed to sleep for half a century.Â
âSoâŠâ
âWeâre in love with each other.â
âAndâŠâ
âWeâre the last ones to know about it.â Fred finished.Â
Looking up at him, you werenât quite sure what to do. It should have been a rather shocking revelation, but instead you were more surprised by the group's ability to keep a secret than you were by your feelings for Fred.Â
Fred smiled. âYouâre more shocked by them, than us, arenât you?â
You nodded. âWellâŠyeah! Someone goes missing inside the Chamber of Secrets in the middle of the night and the entire school knows about it before everyoneâs even woke up.â
Fred laughed, laying his arm over your shoulders. âCome on, Love. Letâs get you some tea and toast. Might help with that headache.â
Despite talking though and eventually realising the full extent of your feelings for one another, your first kiss with Fred wasnât until the first night you stayed with him at The Burrow that Christmas.Â
Pulling you aside before everyone went to dinner, Fred stood with you on the stairs. You had to stand a few steps above him in order to reach his height, but the minute the mistletoe began to grow above your head, the height difference was no longer a concern.Â
pairing: george x hufflepuff!fem!reader
word count: 4.4k OOF we're so back
warning(s): war, blood, injury, george losing his gosh darn ear, some sexual content but i cut it off before anything dramatic because i can't write smut to save my life it makes me so wildly uncomfortable looool
premise: you receive an urgent owl from fred that george has been injured the night before bill and fleur's wedding. so you drop everything, as you always do for him, and apparate to the burrow. you were never going to say anything, or do anything. but his injury, the impending war, the romance, the firewhiskey, all has a way of working itself into your veins before your desperation for george reaches new levels.
A/N: OH hey, remember little old me? your resident weasley twin OBSESSED gryffindor girlie? well, i'm back. recently, the feels have been creeping in to write for my favorite boys again, and when the potter feels swoop in and straight up punch me in the face, there's no denying it. this is one of those stories that literally just poured out of me and i couldn't stop writing. so, let's dive back in, shall we?
*i do not give permission for my work to be posted on any other platform.
The streets outside are dark, bleak, wet with fresh rain from a storm that just rolled through. The normally vibrant Diagon Alley has lost all its colour, all its life, amidst the tension of the impending war. Death Eaters storm the streets regularly. And yet, here you are, still at the headquarters of the Daily Prophet, trying your best to showcase what truly matters: the facts of it all.
It's no secret to that the Wizarding community had been at odds for a few years, until it was revealed that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named really did return, and since then itâs just been a fight for survival. But you still worked long hours, wrapping yourself up in your work, fact-checking and writing until the late hours of the night, if only to prevent yourself from thinking and letting your mind run rampant.
Youâre going on hour ten, and youâre halfway through an article draft when the owl taps at your office window.
You furrow your brows. You donât recognize this owl â brown feathers a bit ruffled, wide around the eyes. Bloody hell, looks like heâs gone through the ringer to get here. You give him a quick gentle pet to thank him for his delivery. You untie the note attached to his leg and immediately recognize Fredâs handwriting â rushed, smudged, as if written in a hurry.
          Come quickly. Do not ask questions. George has been hurt.
Your whole body freezes at Fredâs words. George. Hurt.
Youâd been friends with the Weasley family since you were young, and you met the younger boys on the outskirts of Ottery St. Catchpole. Turns out they had the same knack for pranking that you do. Separated only by house during your Hogwarts years, the three of you were inseparable.
On the bottom of the note is something dark â blood, maybe, or perhaps spilled ink. You donât take the time to analyze.
You drop your quill and papers to the floor, grab your cloak, and Disapparate before you think otherwise.
-
Somehow, in the darkness of the evening, the Burrow glows against the countryside, warm light spilling from the windows. You see a faint light coming from the twinsâ window, and sprint inside.
âOh, darling,â Molly says softly, and pulls you in for an embrace. âThank you for getting here so quickly. Heâsââ sheâs dabbing her eyes and sniffling before she can finish her sentence, which sends your thoughts spiraling. With a quick squeeze of her hand, youâre off in a flash â your legs are carrying you up the steps faster than you can register, floorboards creaking beneath your feet, before youâre standing in the doorway breathing heavily, nearly folding at the seams at the sight in front of you.
Fred, cheeky as ever, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, turns to his disfigured twin. âTold you sheâd come storming in here like a hurricane.â To you, he winks and then softens at the panicked look on your face. âHe â heâs fine, really,â
âHonestly, Fred,â you begin, slapping him with your hand. He fake winces. âCanât you just be serious for one moment?â
Mockingly, he brings a hand to his heart. âI havenât got a serious bone in my body, Iâm afraid. Itâs like you donât know us but at all.â
You shut your eyes, half-annoyed and half-relieved, that theyâre both here, theyâre both alive, and pull him into a bone-crushing embrace. You did in fact, storm in there like a hurricane, and yet now that youâre here, in their childhood bedroom, Quidditch posters on the wall, prototypes of old inventions and ghosts of who they were as children in every square inch of the space, you canât bring yourself to look at George.
Until he speaks.
âOi,â he calls, raising a hand from the bed. Itâs covered in blood. âIâm the injured one here, why arenât I getting an embrace?â
You and Fred pull apart. He snorts back a laugh and says to George, âYou just want to get your hands on her, is all.â
When you finally turn to look at him, you swallow over a lump thatâs lodged itself in your throat, and George manages a wink. âReckon youâre right.â
At some point throughout this whole ordeal, youâd started crying, you just didnât know when. Your cheeks are now tearstained, sniffles rising to the surface, and you can hardly even manage to crack a grin at his horrendous flirting. You normally always do. His grin softens, before vanishing completely. âHey,â he sticks out his hand weakly. âCome âere.â
You let go of Fred now and make your way over to the bed tentatively. His ear is entirely gone. Itâs covered in blood, which has matted down his hair in a deep red clump. Thereâs blood stained against the side of his face and down his neck, and across his shirt. You look away, through the window at the moonlight spilling in. Though your eyes are too blurry to really notice it.
George takes your hand in his and gently guides you to the bed. âPlease, sit,â he croaks out. And so you do. With his clean hand, he reaches out, wiping a tear from your cheek, pushing your hair behind your ear. And youâre putty in his hands.
It hasnât always been this way. Not when you were young. You could handle his flirty grins, that bubbling laughter, his over-the-top antics and the horrendously cringey yet funny way heâd call you âloveâ when trying to be obnoxious. It used to be so easy to dart from. But something changed over the years. Your heart began to hammer when his eyes would find yours in the busy Great Hall, your breath would hitch whenever he grabbed your hand to drag you onto the Quidditch pitch late at night to practice, and nowâŠ
You shut your eyes and try to swallow down your tears, but itâs no use. They fall voluntarily from your eyes. You can still feel his fingers brushing your clenched jaw line. âYou didnât tell me.â You mean, of course, the moving of Harry Potter, the taking of the Polyjuice Potion, the putting their lives at risk by quite literally becoming him and dodging the most evil of wizards left and right in the air. You finally open your eyes, and Georgeâs face has gone from his usual happy, cheeky self, to more solemn. More sorry. You turn to look at Fred now. âEither of you.â
âWe wanted too, Y/N,â Fred says, âbut we didnât want you worrying for no reason.â
Georgeâs voice sounds a bit stronger. âWe knew youâd worry.â
âI always worry!â you snap, and both twins tense a bit. âBut thatâs not the point! The point is, you shouldâve told me! And itâs not for no reason, Fred!â Your deep breaths feel like breathing fire. Itâs coursing through your veins. You will yourself to calm down. Through another long deep breath, you run a hand through your hair and laugh a bit â not your usual laugh, but more exasperated. Desperate. âIâm sorry. But you couldâve been killed!â you cry, squeezing Georgeâs hand. âEither of you!â
George takes his chances on joking. âSuppose itâs lucky I wasnât, then.â
âLucky,â you spurt out, laughing in disbelief. âRight.â
Somehow, heâs able to sit up with as much strength as he can muster, and a little help from you, until heâs upright. Itâs paining him, you can see it, but you also know he wonât stop, so itâs no use trying to bother to get him to lie back down. He rests his forehead on your shoulder for a moment to catch his breath, and you place a hand on his back to steady him. Finally, he looks up at you. âIâm sorry. Youâre right, we shouldâve told you. But I promise Iâm okay.â
âThank Merlin.â
You grab the washcloth from his bedside table and gently press it to the side of his face, careful not to touch his ear. The blood is starting to come off. He closes his eyes, breathes in and out slowly, and lets you do what you must to feel better. Silence stretches between you both, only the hollow sound of creaky steps and muffled chatter from floors above filling the air.
You think maybe heâs fallen asleep in that upright position. âDoes it hurt?â you ask, almost a whisper, and his eyes flutter open.
âOnly when I smile,â he says.
âOh, well, good thing you never do that,â you finally tease.
He cracks a grin. Not his normal cheeky one. This oneâs softer, gentler. He brings his own hand to his face, covering yours with his fingers, weakly.
Across the room in the entryway, reminding you both of his presence with a little startle, Fred clears his throat. âAre you two planning on making heart eyes at one another all night, or shall I fetch us all a cup of tea?â
âDonât think I wonât use a biting doorknob on you when you least expect it,â George fires jokingly, but he doesnât take his eyes off of you.
Smiling, you turn to Fred and say, âTea sounds lovely.â
Fred vanishes down into the kitchen, and youâre left alone with George. You help him to lay back down after cleaning his hair, helping Molly bandage him up, and placing him into a more comfortable pyjama shirt. He asks you to stay, so you do. After a while, you feel him settle into a deep sleep, his breathing rhythmic, his bandaged ear highlighted by the moonlight flooding the window. You feel a pang in your chest.
But heâs alive. And for now, you can breathe.
-
Morning breaks soft and golden over the Burrowâs fields. What a beautiful day for a wedding. Youâre awoken by the kettle making a pot of tea. The usual chatter can be heard throughout the Burrow, and for a moment, you feel like youâve dreamt it all â the owl, the note, the blood on his shirt â until you hear the twinsâ chorused laughter coming from a few floors above.
Right. Heâs alive.
Heâs hurt, but thank Merlin, heâs alive.
Thatâs what gets you through the day. Youâd like to be laying by his side, but you know he needs his rest before the evening festivities. Plus, it wouldnât look quite right for Georgeâs friend to crawl underneath the covers with him, nursing him back to health.
You swallow and shove the thought down.
You help where you can â placing decorations, putting up the tent, making sure all is in order with Ginny so Molly doesnât have to do all of it. Of course, the magic does the heavy lifting. And though you spend most of the day outside, peering up longingly at the house, your heart and mind are with the boy up on the second floor.
In the afternoon, the guests begin to arrive. Theyâre surprisingly exuberant and excited despite the impending war that rests on the horizon, but you digress â perhaps, thatâs all the more reason to have a wedding. Besides, you knew that Fleur would never settle on changing the date. She and Bill were marrying, come hell or high water.
You see him only once before the ceremony: George, a bit pale but more colour in his cheeks than yesterday, dressed smartly in purple with a crisp white bandage tied around his head. You canât help but laugh â even on his brotherâs most important day, heâs still looking mischievous. Wouldnât be George otherwise. You can see him peering around the crowd, wondering who heâs looking for, hoping heâs looking for you. But when he doesnât find you, an overly friendly Beauxbatons girl, one of Fleurâs friends from school, inserts herself into the conversation the Weasley family is having, and the ache in your chest doubles.
You place yourself in the crowd with Hermione and Harry, somewhere near the back, and breathe in deeply as you watch the Weasley men take their place next to Bill at the altar. You begin fidgeting with your necklace, only to give yourself something to do instead of staring. But itâs no use. Itâs like youâre waiting for his eyes to find yours. And when they do, they soften, and a small smile spreads itself across his lips, and he raises a hand in hello. You do so back before the music swells and the bride is set to marry the groom.
An overwhelmingly stunning ceremony, you watch as Molly dabs at her eyes for her oldest, now married, son. All of the Weasley boys are patting Bill on the back before he takes his place with his wife for their first dance. Silently, Fred slips away from the group, appearing near you with a glass of firewhiskey in his hands. As Bill and Fleur begin to sway to a gentle melody, Fred carefully clinks his glass with yours.
âHeâs been watching you all afternoon,â he says matter-of-factly.
You feel your muscles tense. Careful not to show too much emotion, you offer a slight, âHmm?â pretending to watch the newlyweds. But Fred sees right through you. Youâre looking directly at the man who has owned your heart for the better half of your life, keen on not imagining what it would be like for him to love you back. Because he could never. He has never.
âOh, please,â he huffs, as if he can read your mind. For a moment, you wonder if he can. âYou two are horrid at hiding it. Always have been.â Blood pounds in your ears at his words, and you turn toward Fred, confused.
âWhat do you mean?â
Fred cocks his head and peers at you, with just a smidge of mockery. âCome on, Y/N. The whole world knows heâs loved you for years. Except, I guess, you,â he breathes. You furrow your brow further. If this is true, how did you never know? Why did he never tell you? You suppose, now, for the same reasons you never told him. Self-doubt. Your heart aches in places you didnât know existed.
Fred turns back to look toward his twin, his jaw tight. âHe scared us all half to death last night.â Back to you, he continues. âDonât miss the chance to tell him whatever youâve been holding close to you for all these years.â
Silently again, he slips away, vanishing into the crowd of couples who have now joined Bill and Fleur on the dance floor, leaving just you and your racing heart.
-
Music hovers over the grass inside the tent. Couples sway together. Arthur and Molly, looking like love-pinched teenagers, Ron and Hermione holding one another awkwardly, sweetly, Fleur, a radiant bride. You stand near the tent flaps, hands grasped tight around a glass of Firewhiskey thatâs nearly finished.
He appears before you, a cheeky grin on his face. âNow whatâre you doing all the way over here, looking as beautiful as you do?â
âChaperoning,â you joke. You feel a chill from outside, the sweet summer air is becoming cooler. Your breath hitches at the word beautiful. You donât feel it. Itâs just a silly blue dress you had hanging in your closet. âJust getting some fresh air.â
âWell, care for a dance?â
âShouldnât you be resting?â you grin.
âNah, doctor's orders â Iâve got to move around a bit â keep the charm in working order.â
Across the room, Fred Weasley grins to himself and turns toward that animated Beauxbatons girl from this afternoon. âDoes that doctor happened to be named Fred?â
George smiles fully now. âHe does know me best, after all.â
And when he offers you his hand, you take it.
The world shrinks itself down to soft candlelight, rain-damp grass, and a light tune. Carefully, he takes your waist in his hand, holding you as if youâre some delicate glass figurine, and heâll break you if he squeezes too tight.
Together, you move quietly, with some nervous stolen glances and soft smiles, both a bit unsure at first, but unwilling to let go of one another. The years spill together. You remember the day everything changed â you caught him in the corridors, defending a second year against some nasty Ravenclaw. He was comforting the young boy, his normal mischievous tone nowhere in sight. You didnât realize how quickly it happened â the way your heart had soared, grin broadened at his softness, but between all the moments afterward of chaos and magic and tomfoolery that took place behind the castle doors, somewhere, somehow, you fell in love.
And if Fred is telling the truth, then so did George.
âI scared you last night, didnât I?â he asks suddenly.
You look up, taken by surprise. His 6â4 frame is nearly swallowing you whole. âYou did.â
âI didnât mean too,â he admits. Sheepishly, he continues, âKind of scared myself, actually.â
You squeeze his hand. âI know.â
He continues, âI heard you. Yelling later on, when speaking with Freddie, after Iâd fallen asleep. Couldnât tell if you were angry or panicked.â
âA little bit of both,â you admit. âBut donât worry. Iâm not anymore. Angry, I mean.â
Slowly, he twirls you beside candlelight. The music floats between you both. You hate how disturbingly good he looks in purple, and the way it makes you feel all fuzzy. He laughs â that familiar, wonderful sound, and teases, âWow, didnât think youâd miss me that much.â
But youâre suddenly not in the mood to joke. âYouâre wrong.â
The song changes to something a bit more upbeat, but neither of you move or let go of one another. The crowd blends into hues and shadows of silvery dust, and George moves to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear. For a fleeting moment, you can hear nothing but the swift beating of your heart.
His hand stops at your jaw, fingers dancing across your neck, and when his eyes meet yours, everything youâve both been hiding for years and years lives right there, between you both â years of jokes, secret hand-written letters during lessons, late nights on the Quidditch pitch and all of those almost-moments. Words hover on his lips, and on yours, unnecessary, and unspoken.
And then he leans in slowly, heart pounding, tensions rising, and kisses you.
Itâs soft, and quick, and fleeting, and not nearly enough after all the years of waiting. He hovers there for a moment, his lips lightly brushing yours, and you canât bring yourself to open your eyes for fear that itâll all be just a dream, itâs all been a dream.
But you do. And heâs there, and heâs real, hunger roaring in his eyes. Your glance drops down to his lips, and youâre not sure how much longer youâll last before youâll scream. You take his tie in your hands and gently tug him toward the edge of the tent, through the flaps, and into the darkness of the countryside.
Neither of you say anything. Neither of you have too. You back up toward the entrance of the Burrow, and when youâre both inside, away from the crowd, alone, itâs electrifying and scary and it seems like bottled up feelings are taking over the both of you, and George pushes you against the wall and kisses you fiercely. Itâs dizzying and passionate and years of hidden love and more, and youâre kissing him back, hungrily, the fire back in your veins, but a different kind. You both stumble, clumsily, drunkenly, up the stairs, stopping every few feet to hold one another, to remove shoes, and ties, and hair barrettes, when you finally reach the second floor. Again youâre pinned to the doorway, desperate for air as he leaves open-mouthed kisses along your neck and collarbone, his grip on your waist tightening.
âI need you to know,â he says, breathless, still kissing you, âthat itâs you. Itâs always been you.â
âAnd itâs always been you, too,â you reply unbuttoning his shirt, careful of his injury. Your dress pools in a mess of blue around your ankles before youâre out of the doorway.
Itâs dizzying and dangerous, and you can still hear the music faintly from outside, and the moonlight is spilling in again, and you canât believe how different the evening before was. Youâre both a tangled mess of limbs and sheets, finding one anotherâs bodies in the darkness, careful, slow, exploring one another to make up for all the time you didnât.
He pulls away for a moment, body on top of yours, and the way the moonlight highlights his muscles is enough to undo you right there. Youâre absolutely desperate for him. His arms are shaky due undoubtedly to nerves, eyes glistening like a wildfire. âI love you.â
A cheeky grin pulls at your face, but youâre unable to respond before heâs silencing you again, slower this time, dragging his tongue over your lip and down your neck, an involuntary moan escaping you. You can feel him smile against you. Your hands tense around his arms. Shit. You didnât want to give in that quickly.
âLike that, do you?â
âOh shut up,â you said, pulling him closely again, feeling his hands moving slowly and gently across your abdomen, when you guide him in a way that says yes, more.
He presses his forehead to yours, but his eyes are closed, surely willing himself to also not give in. He wants to be careful with you. Delicate. Slow. You can tell. But youâre ravenous. And you know he is too.
He clenches his jaw tightly. âI donât want to hurt you,â he admits. Precious glass figurine, and all that.
âYou wonât.â You whisper.
Itâs more tangled limbs, hungry kisses, curious fingers exploring every inch. Breathless moans fill the room; you canât even try and hide it anymore. His lips are pressed to your skin, the moonlight highlighting his face, and he looks up at you, eyes glistening with a type of hunger youâve never seen before. The lava inside of him has turned to raging fire. This is a George youâve seen only in your mind; countless evenings your head had wandered to places where he and you were giving in to one another. But this side of him, youâre finally experiencing for real. Your heart drums against your chest at the fire in his eyes. His voice is sensuous. Animalistic. âCan I take care of you, love?â
Your heart nearly constricts. You want to scream to the heavens and say yes because the idea of him doing that to you makes your entire body shake, but guilt presses at you. Last night. Heâs barely rested and everythingâs hazy. âGeorge, yourââ
âIâll be okay,â he says. Thereâs teasing in his eyes, vapid fire in his veins. Heâs eager and starving.
You breathe in deeply, and bite at your bottom lip. He presses more kisses to your chest. âCan I?â
âYes,â you reply, breathless, and you fall into a drunken type of haziness as he sinks lower in the dark, that infamous smirk painted upon his face as he leaves a trail of kisses down your abdomen.
-
Thereâs a knock on the door, and suddenly everything is a mixture of bright sunlight, firewhiskey aftermath, and tangled bedsheets. You groan and turn slowly toward your side to see George, shirtless, one eye open. âMorning love,â he grins.
Holy shit. So it hadnât been a dream. You grin sheepishly.
The door flies open and you jump to cover your own exposed body with the remaining part of the sheet that isnât on the floor. âBloody hell, Fred!â you sneer, barely awake. âCouldâve waited a moment!â
âAww, you two,â he teases, and you groan again, knowing the two of you will never be able to live this one down for as long as you both shall live. âWouldâve loved to have waited, but figured you two would want to make yourselves look presentable before Mum and Dad get down, âcause Iâm pretty sure theyâre awake up there,â Fred winks, tossing you your dress from the floor.
Your cheeks flush crimson red, but George only laughs. âCould you take this more seriously, please, Weasley?â you scoff.
ââFraid I canât, darling,â he says, placing his hands behind his head. âOh, relax, donât rush, itâs fine that you spent the night in hereâ he continues as you try and maneuver your dress back on while still hiding under the sheets. âWeâre adults. Weâll just tell Mum you were taking care of me, that's all.â
You heard it before it even left his stupid mouth. Fred snorted immediately, not missing a beat, âOh she took care of you, alrightââ
A dull thwap! of a pillow that youâd thrown against his head knocks Fred a tad off balance, as does his own snickering. Your cheeks are surely that of a tomato now. Embarrassment swallows you whole. âDonât you have somewhere better to be, Frederick?â you asked through gritted teeth.
âIâll go put on a pot of tea for you lovebirds,â Fred winks. âOh, and youâre welcome, by the way, for spending the evening on the couch. My poor body could barely handle it.â
âDo all right then, Fred?â George asks innocently.
But thereâs nothing, youâve come to know in all these years of shenanigans and tomfoolery, thatâs innocent about the Weasley twins. Fred leans against the wall, arms crossed, âHad my own bit of Beauxbatons fun.â
âOi, get out!â you tell him again, half laughter and half annoyance in your voice. You hear Fredâs footsteps retreat down to the first floor, undoubtedly beginning breakfast for a group full of wedding hangovers.
You and George dress quickly, grabbing a pair of pyjamas from your bag so it doesnât look like youâre doing the walk of shame down to the first floor this morning. Hovering on the staircase, George stops you, and pulls you in closer.
âI meant what I said last night,â he tells you, running a hand through your hair. âI really do love you.â
You bring a gentle hand to his face, and brush your thumb against his cheek. He closes his eyes at your touch, and savors the moment, because the entire Burrow is beginning to wake.
âYou didnât exactly give me a chance to respond last evening,â you wiggle your eyebrows at him and he laughs. âYou know I love you too, right?â
âWell, I always assumed, the way you always followed me aroundââ you swat him with the sleeve of your homemade Weasley sweater. Now, sweeter, more serious, âNow I do.â
He leans in and kisses you once again, and the remnants of heat and passion course through your veins, just for a moment, before youâre melting into his embrace, becoming weak at the knees, not believing this is what you two have been missing out on all these years. Him. Here. Alive. You two, together. At last.
Somewhere nearby, Ron and Harryâs laughter echoes a few staircases above, the morning awakening as if nothing at all has changed.
But for you, everything has.
You think, fleetingly, that love during war feels a bit like dancing on a cliffâs edge â the wind fierce, the view endless, the ground uncertain. Yet somehow, youâre not afraid.
Because heâs holding you, and youâre both still standing.
Because even in the dark, thereâs enough light to find each other.
It feels like I travelled back in time because it feels like no time has passed! Seeing you back here with a super cute George fic with a sprinkle of Fred humor? Let's stay here! Loved it!
A/N: Hi!!! Sorry this was a little rushed, but if I tried to make it perfect it would take forever. Also not 100% sure I got across the enemies to lovers trope like you asked anon but I tried I guess đ€·ââïžThank you Anon for requesting, this was my first soulmate au and first George Weasley one-shot. I hope you like it!
     âOw!â George limped and gripped his toes through his shoes. âSon of a banshee!â
Lee looked up from his steak and kidney pie. âStub your toe?â He asked as George sat down next to him.
     âShe did,â he grumbled, still rubbing his shoe. Most days, this whole feeling-your-soulmateâs-pain thing was â pardon the pun â a pain in the arse.
     âYeah,â Fred started, âI tripped on the stairs yesterday and Angie had a right go at me for running.â
     Lee and George nodded. âWe know, we were there.â Said Lee.Â
     George was happy for his twin â really he was â Angelina was great, they were good for each other. But sometimes it kind of sucked. Growing up, George and Fred had always seen themselves as two halves of a whole, they completed each other. Only to learn that, in fact, they were two halves of a different whole. They completed each other platonically, familially, personally; but there was something missing. Fred found his missing piece, and George still felt incomplete.
A/N: ahhhh xD I am not sure how this happened, but it did and I am so happy how this turned out! I really hope you guys like it too! I missed writing for Charlie, but donât worry, my Eddie Munson lovers, heâs up next this weekend!
Request - starlightmedow asked: Hmmmmm, what about Charlie x muggleborn reader (reader was a Hufflepuff but theyâre already graduated, dating since Hogwarts) were the battle of Hogwarts is over and heâs panicking cuz he canât find her, eventually he does but sheâs extremely hurt and passed out so he panics even more + comfort on both sides once she wakes up cuz I canât do angst w/o comfort (Fred doesnât die, he never died)?
Warnings: post war; reader is badly hurt, mentions of wounds, also mentions of bullying, I believe thatâs it but please let me know if I missed anything
Disclaimer: I donât own Harry Potter :D gif isnât mine :)
Your name: submit What is this?
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Hearts On Fire
Well, I donât have many, and I donât have much
In fact I donât have any, but I borrow enough
âCause I know those eyes, and I know that touch
I donât have many, and I donât have much
But oh, darling, my heartâs on fire⊠For you
It was over. It was finally over. They won. Voldemort was gone. Harry was alive. Everything was going to be okay. Except for one thing. He couldnât find you. Charlie was running through the halls of his previous school looking for you. You had to be okay. He could feel his heart beating heavier than he had ever felt before.
âBill!â he yelled when he saw his older brother with his wife.
âCharlieâ Bill said nervously. Charlie felt his heart drop to his stomach. Something wasnât right. Bill was a terrible liar and he knew he was hiding something.
âWhatâs wrong?â he said, feeling his hands shaking. âHave you seen-?â
âCharlie, itâs best if you come with usâ Fleur said, walking closer to him.
âWhere is she?â he said, his voice starting to shake. âW-what happened-?â he said, looking at his older brother as terrified as he did when they were kids and there was a thunderstorm outside. It broke Billâs heart.
âCharlie, she-â he started, but he couldnât tell him. He grabbed his brotherâs arm and pulled him closer. âSheâs gonna be okay, mateâ he said.
âBill!â he said, pushing him away and he felt a few tears escaping his eyes. âWhat happened?â
âYou need to stay calmed-!â
âNo! Donât tell me to calm down!â he snapped. âYou donât get to tell me to calm down when your wife is standing right here and mine is-â he said, with his voice breaking. âW-where is she?â
âCome on, mateâ Bill said, quietly, pulling him towards the Great Hall.
Charlie walked through the people that were mourning their loved ones and other people whose injuries were being tended to. But he didnât see you. Until he did. And then, his heart dropped and broke into a million pieces. You were lying on the ground with all of his family surrounding you.
âN-noâ Charlie said, running towards you and kneeling down.
âCharlieâ Mrs. Weasley said, holding her son as tears ran down her face.
âWhat happened?â was everything he was able to say when he saw your unconscious body on the ground. You looked so small, fragile, and delicate. He was terrified of even touching you. But he did, grabbing you and pulling you to him. He saw every bruise, cut, and scratch on your beautiful face and his heart broke into a million pieces.
âW-we were with herâ Percy told him. âShe was fighting with usâ he explained.
âS-someone blew up a w-wall behind usâ Fred said, crying just as much as Charlie was. âA-and she-â he said, making Charlie look at his little brother. âShe pushed me out of the way, Charlieâ he said. âA-and-â
âDarling, p-please wake upâ he said, brushing the hair away from your face and seeing a deep cut on your forehead. âYou have to wake up, loveâ he cried. âYou promised me!â
I haven't read a Potter fic in ages and I loved, loved, loved it! I missed the Weasleys, and Benny the bowtruckle? How sweet was that? I loved the families, the banter, this was just so good!
Summary: Charlie asked you to come with him when he visits his family to pretend to be his girlfriend so his mom would stop setting him up. Â
Word Count: 2,8k
A/N: I know nothing about Romania and I really tried my best. I tried to find a traditional Romanian dish but they were all with meat and I donât eat meat for three years now so I couldnât write that. If I googled it correctly draga mea means my love. Â
In all those years that you had known Charlie you had never seen him beg. So seeing him standing in front of you, holding your hands in his blistered ones and to hear him beg, you werenât sure if you could refuse him.
âWhy do you even need to bring a date? Why donât you tell them that you are single and happy?â You asked.
He sighed and let go of your hands. âBecause my mum doesnât believe me. And then she tells me all about the women she knew were still single. I guess she thinks that Iâll move back if I just find the right woman. One time I was supposed to meet up with my mom but she wasnât the one turning up. It was a blind date and an awkward one none the less.â
Summary: Soulmate AU â Things you lose appear with your soulmate and you knew you found your soulmate when you see a thing you lost years ago in his possession
Warnings: battle of Hogwarts?
Word Count: ~ 1.8k
Your fingers tried to find the little box you were searching for in your bag. In front of you stood your best friend, her eyes hopeful and expecting and now you couldnât find her birthday present. Instead of the small box with a necklace that you had made yourself you found a glove. You pulled said item out and inspected it closely.
The smile on your friends face fell. âYou lost my present?â she asked.
âUgh, I can offer you one glove?â you held the new item in front of her. You friend sighed and told you it wasnât your fault, but both of you knew that she was disappointed.
Thank you!!! I only saw the comment and knew exactly which fic you talked about! I had so much fun writing this back then, I'm happy to see that someone enjoyed it now!!! đ„°đ
Summary:Â A trip to visit you and Bill in Egypt leaves Charlie feeling like heâd never be able to escape Billâs shadow. Bill has always had your heart, as long as Charlie could remember. But maybe heâs wrong.. and maybe he just needs a little encouragement to see it.
Word Count:Â 2.8k
Masterlist
A/N: Angst and fluff. Charlie is a bit of a sad sap for a lot of this, but it resolves itself. Itâs nice to get back into Charlie writing. Iâve missed this man. MC is the MC from HP:HM.
Wind blew sand across his heated cheeks, each grain leaving microscopic scratches that brought water to his eyes. The exertion of the hike through the desert shouldnât have left him as breathless as it did, given that Charlie prided himself in his physical stamina. Years of quidditch practices, and now all the time he trekking the Carpathians chasing down dragons, had given him hardened muscles and strengthened lungs. He was in peak physical form.
But sand⊠few things can prepare you for sand.Â
âHow much further, Bill?â Charlie asked as he wiped his brow.
Billâs voice was light, âNot long at all, brother.â
But it was a second voice that left Charlie far more breathless than any hiking could.
Over the cresting peak of the next stand dune, holding a scarf tight to your head against the prevailing winds, stood a figure fully in shadow. But it was a figure heâd know anywhereâ a figure he memorized for years, one that haunted his dreams with regrets. That figure that heâd memorized with his eyes, he had longed to memorize it with his hands, too. But he never said a word. No, and he probably never would.Â
âWilliam Arthur Weasley! I thought you were the good brother.â
You let out a laugh and Charlie heart did flipsâ backwards and forwards, the oscillating making him a little ill. It was a confusing feeling. The beautiful sound of your voice made his stomach fill with butterflies. But the way in which you purred Billâs name with such intimacy stabbed him in the deepest parts of his chest.
Sirius Black x fem!Slytherin!Prefect!Reader; Platonic!Regulus Black x Reader; Marauders Era; oneshot; requested
SUMMARY: Y/N and Sirius do not get along. But, they soon find themselves stuck spending time together after Slughorn insists that Sirius receive tutoring from Y/N, and it gets harder to keep on being enemies.
REQUEST: [ read here ]
WORD COUNT: approx. 11.4k
WARNINGS: profanity, an innuendo
NOTES: [Iâm bad at summaries. Itâs basically âtheyâre rivals but theyâre also dumb and canât figure out that theyâre just attracted to each otherâ] To the anon who requested: I diverged a little bit from the request but thank you for sending it in and sorry for the wait :)
Portraits snored softly as Y/N passed them by with light footsteps. The lantern in her hand offered enough light to see where she was going but the far ends of the hallway in either direction remained dark. After being a prefect for long enough, however, it was no longer as eerie as it used to be. There was a strange comfort in it, even. It was the most privacy she would get at Hogwarts.
An old wizard in green robes stirred in his sleep and jolted upright, blinking rapidly as Y/N drew closer with the lantern.
âSorry,â she apologised.
He waved an emerald green sleeve back and forth before she could continue further down the hallway. âPsst! Slytherin girl!â
She stopped and looked at the wizard, raising the lantern to illuminate his portrait. âYes?â
âStudents out of bed,â he muttered. âThey came through here not too long ago and woke me from my sleep.â
Y/N sighed. âAlright, Iâll look into it. Thank you. They went this way?â She gestured with the lantern to the other end of the hallway.
âYes. Go get âem, lass,â the wizard grumbled as he sunk back into his chair and closed his eyes, a deep frown on his face.
Y/N turned down her lantern, reducing it to a tiny flame that would not draw attention. Footsteps as quiet as a mouseâs, she hurried down the hallway to try and catch up to the stray students. The area was empty when she looked around but when she listened closely, there were faint noises. Turning left, she grew closer and closer to the muted sounds with every few steps. And they sounded an awful lot likeâŠoh no.
Y/N grimaced as she stopped in front of a broom closet. A broom closet that suspiciously erotic noises were coming from, noises that had no place in a school at such an hour â or at any hour.
âYou like being a prefect, you like being a prefect,â she repeated to herself like a mantra.
Y/N turned the lantern back up, though she wasnât sure if she was prepared to see whatever state of undress the people behind the door were in, and hesitated only a moment before knocking sharply three times against the wood. She was the one with the authority here, she had nothing to be nervous about.
The sounds of their movements stopped at once. No more ruffling fabrics, no more bumps, thumps or hushed giggles. The pair of horny miscreants whispered harshly to each other but it was too hard to understand what they were saying from the other side of the door. When they still had not come out after almost thirty seconds had passed, Y/N knocked a second time.
âIâm not just going to forget youâre in there and move on if thatâs what youâre waiting for,â she said.
She heard a loud curse. Then, the door swung open, revealing none other than Sirius Black with his hair messier than usual and his lips stained with a lipgloss that probably wasnât his.
âNot you again,â he hissed.
âYes, itâs me again. Here to âruin your lifeâ as usual,â Y/N said.
A girl appeared from behind Sirius, a Ravenclaw in a similar ruffled state.
âCassandra,â Y/N greeted, her tone wavering somewhere between polite and forced.
âHeyâŠâ
âIâll have to take fifty points,â said Y/N.
Siriusâ mouth fell open.
âFifty?â he asked incredulously.
Y/N turned her gaze upwards at him and narrowed her eyes into slits.
âEach.â
She took far too much joy in the look of anguish on Siriusâ face.
âIâll just go back to the common room,â Cassandra mumbled as she slipped away.
Sirius pressed his lips together to hold back a storm of nasty words.
âYou should be going back to bed now, donât you think?â Y/N asked teasingly. âMerlin knows you need all of the beauty sleep you can get.â
âTypical,â Sirius spat. âYou just canât let anybody enjoy themselves, can you?â
âNot if theyâre breaking school rules.â
âYou know, maybe if you actually had a life, you wouldnât be so concerned with what other people spend their time doing,â he said.
âAnd maybe if you had a functioning brain inside of that disproportionately large head of yours, you would realise that as a prefect, itâs my job to be concerned with what other people spend their time doing.â
Sirius exhaled sharply. âOh, for the love of â youâre tighter than a ââ
âDonât finish that sentence unless you want me to take more points away,â Y/N warned.
âAll Iâm saying is that it wouldnât kill you to try and be moderately pleasant for once. But who am I kiddingâŠâ Sirius trailed off, eyeing her green robes and Slytherin prefect badge with disgust.
âI can be perfectly pleasant, thank you,â she said, gripping the lantern tighter.
âThatâs questionable,â he said.
âWell, I donât care what you think of me. I know, thatâs a big shock, you might need to sit down for a minute to process that, snookums.â
Sirius almost smiled â almost â and he started buttoning the rest of his shirt back up at a leisurely pace. It was this movement that made Y/N notice for the first time that it had been hanging half-open and she quickly looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. She did not want to give him the wrong idea, his ego was inflated enough as it was.
When Sirius was finished making himself decent, he leaned into Y/Nâs line of vision and waved at her chirpily.
âYou canât keep doing this, you know,â she said, cheeks burning.
âWhy? Because you catch me every time? But thatâs the most fun part,â Sirius said with a pout.
âBecause it is against the school rules that you are supposed to follow. They donât put them in place for no reason.â She felt like she was trying to explain arithmancy to a toddler.
âOh, but darlingâŠâ He brushed a delicate hand against her cheek as he moved a strand of hair out of her eyes, and he was so close that Y/N could feel the warmth radiating from him. Her heart thumped firmly in her chest as he leaned closer still and said in a low voice: âRules are made to be broken.â
Y/N stared, almost shuddering from the proximity, but her face didnât reveal any part of what she was feeling, and she did not want it to. Sirius did this sort of thing all the time with girls at Hogwarts. The flirty undertones, the teasing, the way he acted like he knew exactly what effect he had on people â because he did know very well how easily he could make people blush, squirm, or smile. This was not special.
Y/N slapped his hand away from her face like she was swatting a fly. She found that her thoughts were far more organised when Sirius wasnât standing close enough for her to smell his cologne.
âGo to bed,â she said firmly.
âYou canât tell me what to do.â
âActually, I can,â she said, tapping a finger to her badge.
Sirius rolled his eyes. âSo what? Youâve got a fancy little badgeâŠdoesnât mean thââ
Sirius closed his mouth remarkably fast when Y/N reached into the pocket of her robes and pulled out the largest dungbomb he had ever seen.
âWhere did you get that?â Sirius asked.
âOne of the perks of being a prefect is that you get to confiscate certain items.â She held it up for emphasis and Sirius crossed his arms.
âAnd youâre telling me youâre allowed to keep them? Thatâs not âagainst the rulesâ?â he asked, mimicking her voice.
She shrugged, rolling the dungbomb threateningly in her palm. âMaybe I shouldâŠget rid of it, then.â
âYou wouldnât. You donât have the guts. Youâre too scared to get in trouble,â he said.
Now, it was Y/N who was stepping closer to Sirius, quickly regaining the upper hand she knew she had.
âWho do you think the professors would believe? The boy who keeps getting caught breaking rules left and right? Or me: a prefect with an immaculate track record? Do you think theyâll rat me out when I regularly patrol these halls making sure students donât disturb them?â Y/N gestured to the closest portrait. The witches in the painting shut their eyes, pretending not to have seen anything, and a painted cat scurried under one of their skirts.
Sirius opened and closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.
âOh, youâre good,â he said, almost impressed.
âI know. Now go to bed.â
Taking Y/N by surprise once more, Sirius acquiesced. He slowly began walking away, looking back over his shoulder every few paces with that same look on his face. It made her feel small under his gaze but somehow it wasnât all that unpleasant.
Right before he turned into the next hallway, he looked back with a smirk on his face that could only mean he was about to say something to intentionally ruffle her feathers.
âBy the way, that thing you said about me having a disproportionately large head? My head is just fine, thank you. Actually, itâs more than fine. My head is pretty great.â
Y/N could feel a blush crawl all the way down to her neck. Sirius triumphantly swaggered away and she bit her lip in frustration. Not only had he flustered her, but heâd gotten the last word in. Insolent bastard.
A portrait sniffed loudly and she looked up to see another witch staring at the dungbomb in her hand with her eyes narrowed.
âWhat?â Y/N asked, sliding it back into her pocket.
The witch raised her brows before closing her eyes and settling back into her chair, and just like that, the hallways of Hogwarts fell asleep once more.
Regulusâ uniform was always neat. His tie was always straight, his shirts were never crinkled or untucked, and he wouldnât be caught dead with scuffed shoes. Nobody would mistake him for anything other than a pure-blood from a well-to-do family with the way he carried and presented himself. How different he was from Sirius. It was hard to believe they were related â brothers, especially. Where Regulus was orderly and composed, Sirius was loud and passionate with a zest for life that Y/N struggled to admit she envied sometimes.
Regulus was sat across from her at a table in the library and as usual, he was hard at work on an essay with his quill scratching quickly but neatly across the parchment. Y/N had let herself become distracted from her own essay when a rumble of footsteps sounded from somewhere nearby and she saw Sirius Black zoom between a set of shelves with a stack of books balanced precariously in his arms. Madam Pince had shouted at him for his behaviour â and so she should have, he was acting like a twit â but Siriusâ sudden appearance had turned Y/Nâs lips upwards into a smile that she was quick to force away.
She felt a light tap on the top of her hand and she tore her gaze away from the table that Sirius was sat at with his friends. Regulus watched her suspiciously, his attention now shifted away from his homework.
âDistracted?â he asked.
Y/N frowned and picked up her own quill once more. She tried to continue with the sentence sheâd left half-finished, but it was impossible to gather her thoughts again when she could hear Siriusâ clear laugh ring out like a bell. Bloody hell, he was annoying.
Despite her silence, Regulus seemed to have gotten the answer he was looking for. He sighed, shaking his head.
âHeâd be no good for you, you know,â he mumbled.
Y/N snapped her eyes back up to Regulus, prepared to deny any accusation he threw her way.
âI donât know what youâre on about,â she said far too quickly for it to sound casual.
Regulus gently placed his quill down beside his parchment and leaned his elbows on the table.
âThen there must be something awfully interesting that you keep on staring at over there.â
Y/N gripped her quill tighter. Regulus was giving her that look. The kind of look that only a best friend can give when they know something is up, when thereâs no point in trying to lie to them anymore because theyâve already sniffed out the truth for themselves.
âWhat, you want to talk about boys now? Shall I get my nail polish out? Perhaps you can braid my hair ââ
Regulus cut her off with a snort.
âYouâre hopeless,â he said, though not unkindly.
âI donât have a crush on your brother if thatâs what youâre insinuating. Thatâd be pathetic.â
Regulus smirked, leaning back in his chair. âWho said anything about my brother? I certainly never brought him up.â
Y/N paused, realising that she had foolishly given him the confirmation he needed. She pointed her quill threateningly at him. âI said I donât like him. Heâs the single most annoying person Iâve ever met. He drives me crazy.â
âI know he does,â Regulus said calmly. âThatâs why you always rant about him after you catch him on your patrols.â
âI rant about him because he bothers me.â
âOr because youâre a little bit obsessed with him.â
Y/Nâs mouth fell open at Regulusâ blunt statement. He seemed entirely unaffected, however. He even looked a little bored and that only made Y/N more frustrated. Regulus was good at poking her buttons when he wanted to; he was like the annoying little brother that she never asked for but ended up with anyway.
âI am not obsessed with him and I am insulted by the very notion.â
Regulus paid no mind to her quietly brewing anger â she often resorted to a quiet, seething rage when he provoked her on personal matters and it no longer fazed him â and he looked over at Siriusâ table.
âI suppose I can see why. Opposites attract,â he waved a hand lazily. âYou, like so many others, are probably attracted to his jaunty, devil-may-care attitude and his shiny, long hair.â
âWhen did you become an expert?â Y/N muttered.
âYouâre a dutiful student whoâs never broken a rule nor swayed from the path youâre on, so somebody like my brother would offer the promise of excitement and adventure that you think you need.â Regulus faced her again, holding up a finger like a stern parent. âBut you donât need that. Youâve worked hard to build up your reputation and achieve everything that you have, and you donât want to risk tarnishing that by chasing afterâŠwell â that.â
Regulus finished by gesturing back over at his brother. Now, Sirius was leaned back on his chair, long legs resting over the edge of the table, and his head was tilted upwards at the book he was levitating in the air. He made it look effortless.
âUhâŠyes. I agree. Thatâs what I was saying,â Y/N said with her eyes still glued to Sirius.
Regulus pursed his lips, clearly not convinced, but he accepted her answer anyway.
âNow, if youâre quite finished, I have an essay to write,â she said, finally turning back to her essay.
A good thirty seconds of silence passed until Y/N groaned loudly and slammed her book closed.
âWell, now I just canât focus at all. Thanks, Reg.â
âYes, itâs completely my fault,â he said dryly.
Regulus watched with masked amusement as she quickly gathered her things into her bag.
âIâm going back to the common room,â she said.
âGood riddance. Try not to daydream about my devil of a brother while youâre at it.â
Regulus had no time to duck as Y/N accidentally knocked her bag into his face on her way out.
Y/N stared in disbelief at Slughorn, equally as horrified as the boy who stood next to her.
âNo!â she and Sirius said at the same time.
Slughorn folded his hands patiently on the desk in front of him.
âMister Black, you are a bright young man and I know for a fact that you perform well in many other classes, but you arenât adequately applying yourself in Potions. Miss L/N is an excellent student and sheâs helped others make great improvements through tutoring. Itâs a perfect match.â
Sirius made a belching sound that was just quiet enough that Professor Slughorn must have mistaken it for a cough.
âAll due respect, sir, but I have many responsibilities as it is. I donât think Iâm prepared to handleâŠall of this.â Y/N side-eyed Sirius.
âYou know you canât handle all of this,â Sirius muttered cockily, once again going unheard (or at least unacknowledged) by Slughorn.
Professor Slughorn sighed and shrugged his shoulders. âWell, if I must, I can pair you with another student to improve your results, Mister Black. Severus Snape is highly proficient in ââ
âNo!â Sirius said abruptly.
Slughorn paused. âNo?â
Sirius sucked in a breath and patted Y/N on the shoulder roughly. âThisâll do just fine.â
âIâm not an item at a yard sale, you know,â Y/N said, shrugging his hand off.
âAre you willing to help Mister Black, then?â Slughorn asked.
Y/N looked between Sirius and the professor. Sirius looked desperate, grey eyes pleading silently for her to agree, and she could guess why. He and Severus did not get along. The two of them together would be even worse than her and Sirius.
âAlrightâŠfine.â
Y/N wasnât quite sure why she decided to agree. She told herself it was because she couldnât refuse a direct request from a professor, that she was only agreeing to be Siriusâ tutor because it was her obligation as a prefect. That wasnât the honest reason, however. She knew it likely had something to do with the flutter in her chest that only ever happened when Sirius Black looked her way.
âI think I would know if I was doing it wrong.â
âWhoâs the tutor here?â
âWell, I know who the pain in the ass is here and for once, it isnât me,â Sirius said.
Y/N resisted the urge to throw her notebook at Siriusâ head, not for the first time since they had commenced their study session.
Sirius was all too aware of the annoyingly close eye Y/N was keeping on him as he measured out the next powder required for their potion. Though his back was turned to her, simply knowing that she was looking at him sent a strange tingle across the back of his neck, raising goosebumps along his skin. Not unpleasant, not unenjoyable, but entirely unwelcome. She had no right to mess with his focus like that. What was she playing at?
âThatâs too much,â she pointed out.
âItâs fine, itâs only a tiny bit over,â he said.
âNo, itâs not fine! Not unless you want that potion to melt the skin off your face, that is.â
Sirius squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. She could be even more dramatic than he was â something he didnât know was possible.
âAlright, now youâre really just nitpicking, arenât you?â
âPotions is a very precise branch of magic. All of the measurements have to be exact. Small things make a difference,â Y/N said, frustrated that sheâd had to repeat this simple fact so many times already.
She shooed him with her hands and took over with measuring the powder, then gestured for Sirius to pay attention as she added it to the bubbling liquid inside the cauldron.
âWhere did you learn all this stuff anyway? You seem comfortable with it,â Sirius asked after several quiet minutes had crawled by.
Y/N was surprised by the question, her movements slowing. She couldnât recall a time when Sirius had asked her a real question about herself, nor could she remember ever asking him about his own life. Despite the fact that they always managed to cross paths one way or another, theyâd never had a proper conversation â at least not one that didnât consist of petty back-and-forth. The only reason she knew anything at all about his life (which was still only very little) was because she had picked up the occasional piece of information dropped by Regulus throughout the years. Regulusâ mentions of his brother had grown few and far between, though.
âMy motherâs very skilled at Potions. Even before I received my Hogwarts letter, I tried to learn everything I could from her so I would be ready,â she explained. She expected a snide remark from Sirius but it never came. He simply nodded, eyes still trained on the cauldron, and the edges of his lips curled upwards so subtly that Y/N almost missed it.
âOnly you would start taking classes before school even started,â Sirius said, voice laced with amusement. His words didnât carry the same scathing tone they so often had in the past. If Y/N didnât know better, she might even say he spoke fondly.
Unsure how to react to a less abrasive Sirius than she was used to, she just gave a hesitant smile. âWellâŠI donât like to be caught unprepared,â she said.
âI can tell,â Sirius chuckled.
Y/N finished stirring the potion and turned her questioning gaze to him. âWhat does that mean?â
Sirius shrugged and a smug sort of look settled over his features. âNothing, youâre just a bit of a square is all,â he said.
Y/Nâs immediate response was to scoff. It was an insult she was all too familiar with. Square. Boring. Dull. Unadventurous.
âOne day, Sirius Black, you and your friends will all be working for me.â
Sirius laughed at that, leaning back on his chair. âI guess thatâs plausible,â he said.
âPerhaps not that Lupin one, though,â Y/N said thoughtfully. âThere may be hope for him yet.â
âThat one will outlive us all,â Sirius said, nodding his head in agreement. âBut heâs not as innocent as heâd have you believe, Miss Prefect.â
Even when Y/N glanced at him curiously, Sirius did not say anything more, merely tapping the tip of his nose. Instead of pressing the topic, Y/N gave the last set of instructions for the potion, watching closely as Sirius added the final ingredients. When all was done, she collected a single vial of the potion to give to Professor Slughorn for feedback.
âThere. No singed eyebrows or melted flesh today.â She dusted her hands on her skirt.
Sirius saw that she started to pack away her things. âThatâs it?â
âThatâs it. Essence of Insanity,â she said. Sirius smirked and began to lean toward the cauldron in what Y/N could only describe as mischievous curiosity.
âNope,â she said quickly. She pointed her wand at the cauldron and vanished the potion before he could collect a vialâs worth or more of the stuff. Sirius slumped back onto his stool with a defeated frown. Then, he blew a short raspberry at her.
âHow very mature of you,â Y/N said, rolling her eyes.
âYes, well, thatâs not counted amongst my many known strengths.â
âAt least youâre self-aware.â
Sirius stretched his arms above his head as if heâd been slaving away all day. With his robe long tossed aside and his shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Y/N was given a view of his rather lovely forearms. As soon as sheâd caught herself looking too long, she felt nothing but frustration at both herself and at Sirius. He was probably doing it on purpose.
When the equipment was packed away, Y/N turned to Sirius. âSame time next week?â she asked. Sirius nodded.
Just like the past several times they had met up to work, the energy between them changed completely once they left the empty classroom behind. The relative peace they had enjoyed during their sessions evaporated as soon as they were in the proximity of other students. As they parted ways once more without so much as a goodbye, both were equally as surprised to find that their prickly attitudes towards each other didnât feel as satisfying nor as warranted as they used to.
Sirius sat silently under the shade of the tree, barely paying attention to the conversation James, Remus, and Peter were all having about Quidditch. His focus was elsewhere.
Y/N was sat some distance away from them beneath another tree with a few Ravenclaws and Slytherins, including his brother. They seemed awfully close, Y/N and Regulus. It shouldnât have been surprising to Sirius, and it definitely shouldnât have made him as annoyed as it did.
He jumped as a twig was thrown at him.
âStop being creepy, Padfoot,â said James.
âIâm not doing anything.â
âTell that to your eyes,â Peter snickered.
Sirius glared at Peter and turned his body to face his friends once more, not quite trusting himself to stop his gaze from wandering again.
âYou were looking at Y/N again, right?â James asked. The curiosity in his voice was undermined by his obvious disapproval.
âI was not!â Sirius said, surprising both himself and James with his volume.
James pursed his lips. âAlright, calm down. I was just asking.â
Sirius sighed and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree. âSo what if I was, anyway?â Sirius asked quietly.
Weeks had gone by of their study sessions, and it grew harder and harder for Sirius to keep disliking her as much as he thought he had before. He found himself buzzing with anticipation for their weekly meetings, eagerly awaiting whatever conversations they might have weaved through all the Potions talk. He looked forward to their banter, which had become decidedly less argumentative and was now more tongue in cheek than anything. She almost always had a quick response for anything he said, and her complete unwillingness to put up with any of his bullshit wasâŠriveting.
James began to list things off on his fingers. âSheâs a Slytherin, sheâs a prefect, sheâs friends with Regulus and Merlin knows who else, sheâs always ratting us out to the professors.â
Sirius could only replace Jamesâ statements with thoughts of his own â ones he refused to say out loud to his friends. Sheâs ambitious. Sheâs dedicated. She knows who she is and doesnât apologise for it.
âSheâs alright, actually,â Remus spoke up.
âWhat?â James asked.
âHow do you know her?â Sirius asked.
âIâve talked to her a few times. Only ever about prefect stuff, really, but sheâs nice.â
âIâd find her a lot nicer if she didnât keep taking points from Gryffindor,â James muttered.
âSheâs just doing her job,â Sirius said defensively, surprising even himself.
James looked at Sirius, over his shoulder at Y/N, then back to Sirius, eyes widening. âYou like her.â
Sirius frowned. âI do not.â
âI thought you were just ogling because sheâs pretty, but you actually like her!â James said, his tone excited or horrified or some strange combination of both.
Peter sat up straighter, even more interested in the conversation now. Sirius Black crushing on a Slytherin prefect â how scandalous.
Sirius felt his face turn hot. He wasnât quite embarrassed, no. It was frustration. âWhy does it matter?â he asked, shoulders tensing.
âMate, come on. Itâll never happen. Itâs practically a crime against nature,â James said, making Remus roll his eyes.
Sirius turned back to see Y/N walking away. With Regulus. He shifted uncomfortably, watching as their forms grew smaller the further they walked. Y/N laughed at something Regulus had said â a bright sort of laugh that he had never heard from her before â and it made his stomach twist and his chest contract. He wanted to run over there and wedge himself between the two of them just so theyâd stop walking so close together.
Sirius thought he would never have another reason to be jealous of Regulus, and yet here he was. He wanted to be the one walking next to her without caring what anyone else thought. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh like that. He wanted to be more than just some Gryffindor she was forced to tutor, because he now knew with certainty that she was more than just a bothersome prefect to him.
Sirius flicked his wrist and at once, the bucket was lifted into the air. He guided it further up until James gave him a thumbs up. Perfect: nobody would see it coming. They scurried behind the wall so they could peek into the corridor without being seen by their target. Then, they waited. And waited. And waited.
James, who was watching the map, nodded at Sirius. âTheyâre coming âround the corner in a few seconds, get ready.â He pressed his wand against the paper and whispered: âMischief managed.â
Sirius grinned and raised his wand slightly, waiting until he saw movement. When he saw Y/N turn the corner at the far end of the corridor, the smile fell from his face.
âWhat the fuck, Prongs?â he whispered harshly, glancing back at his friend. James looked confused as Sirius pocketed his wand.
They peered back into the corridor to see Y/N getting closer. âMate, weâre gonna miss our chance, itâs now or never,â James said.
He held out his own wand and raised it towards the bucket but before he could utter a single syllable, Sirius shoved his arm roughly and knocked the wand right out of his grasp.
âPadfoot, what are you doiââ
âShh!â
There was no point trying to hide anymore. Y/N slowed to a stop and looked down to find them both crouched on the ground with guilty looks on their faces and a mess of blank parchment around them.
âGood afternoon, gentlemen. Having a good time down there on the floor?â she said, not hiding the confusion (and slight judgement) in her voice.
Sirius patted the cold stone floor beneath him. âYep.â
James just narrowed his eyes and kept glancing between the two of them.
âAlrightâŠas you were,â Y/N said before walking away from the odd scene she had happened upon.
When she was out of sight and out of earshot, James gathered the map in his hands and scrambled to stand.
âYouâve got it bad, mate. And thatâs bad!â he huffed.
âThatâs ridiculous. I just donât think she deserves to have a bucket of slug slime dumped over her head, alright?â
âThe slime was your idea!â
âYou didnât tell me it was Y/N who was coming!â
âWhy does that matter?â
Ignoring the question, Sirius dusted himself off and snatched the map from Jamesâ hands.
âIâve got stuff to do. Iâll see you later,â he said. He didnât stick around to answer Jamesâ onslaught of questions.
After checking that nobody was around, Sirius opened up the map and waited for the enchanted ink to bleed onto the page. His eyes searched for a certain set of footprints and shortly after, he was following their trail to the library. Merlin, sheâd made a nerd out of him.
Sirius casually waltzed into the library, waving at a suspicious Madam Pince. He didnât have to think too hard to figure out where Y/N would be sitting. Just as he expected he would, he found her in a quiet nook between two bookshelves with class notes sprawled out in front of her.
âHey,â he greeted. She lifted her head and smiled for a second before hastily returning to a neutral expression.
âHi.â
âSo, Slughorn said that in my essay, I didnât really show a thorough understanding of the process of our last potion. Think you could walk me through it again?â
âI thought you did well.â Y/N frowned.
Sirius shrugged, knowing full well he was lying his arse off. âGuess heâs just being extra hard on me so I get better.â
âAlrightâŠsure. I donât have any homework to do, Iâm just revising, so itâs good timing.â
Sirius grinned and pulled a chair up next to her. He hardly paid attention to a word she said about Potions.
The cheers of the students were already deafening and the match had not even started yet. It was the first game of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin â the strongest house rivalry of them all. So, understandably, everybody was losing their mind.
By the time most people had settled into the stands, Y/N was forced to take the first vacant spot she could see, and it so happened to be right at the split between Gryffindor and Slytherin team supporters â right at the heart of the action. The sky had a grey cast to it and the clouds looked like they might spill over at any moment. She hoped any rain they got wouldnât be heavy enough to mess up the match.
Y/N approached the barrier to look down at the field. The players hadnât come out yet but they would be soon. Something brushed up against her arm and she turned to see Sirius, wearing jeans and a leather jacket with his Gryffindor scarf draped over his shoulders. He inhaled deeply and nodded.
âItâs a good day to lose, L/N.â
Y/N snorted. âSo youâre alright with your team losing, are you?â
Sirius shook his head. âNo, no, thatâs not what I meant â your team, not mine, your team is going to lose. Epically. By a very large margin.â
âYou shouldnât get so far ahead of yourself. Itâll only be more embarrassing for you when we win.â
Sirius grinned, gripping the bannister and leaning over to check again if there was any movement. âThe Slytherin team can eat old wizard baââ
The swelling roars of the crowd drowned out Siriusâ next words. The teams came out onto the field at last, the Gryffindors in their stunning scarlet robes and the Slytherins in their rich green ones. Y/Nâs eyes quickly searched for Regulus and she found him walking alongside his teammates with his head held high. He looked unruffled by the cheering of the crowds, the dirty looks from the other team, and the darkening skies above.
On the other side of the field, Y/N observed the Gryffindor team. Already she could see James Potter striding confidently to the centre of the field with his teammates, waving at the students in the stands as he went. Saint Potter. She prayed to any gods that might exist that Regulus would annihilate him.
The match went on just like every other match. Chasers went after the Quaffle, hitting it at the hoops; Keepers tried their best to block it; Beaters sent the Bludgers flying in different directions. Regulus and James hovered high above it all, both squinting through the fresh drizzle for the Golden Snitch.
A Slytherin Beater zoomed through the air and swung her bat, sending a Bludger hurtling towards the Gryffindor Chaser who had just managed to get hold of the Quaffle. The Chaser dodged the Bludger just in time but lost his balance, and the Quaffle slipped from his hands. A nearby Slytherin Chaser had been waiting to strike, and he zipped right under the Gryffindor and snatched up the Quaffle before he realised what was happening. It was a straight shot to the hoops and the Slytherin Chaser sent the Quaffle soaring past the Keeper and through the centre ring.
Y/N clapped her hands excitedly. The Slytherin team was far more clever and skilful now that a few members had been replaced. A mishmash of boos and cheers filled Y/Nâs ears and she slowly turned her gaze to Sirius to give him a knowing look, to which he just scoffed.
âLucky shot,â he muttered.
The light trickles of rain started getting heavier, and Y/N could feel the cool raindrops hit her scalp, dampening her hair. A handful of students had umbrellas on them but most people had not anticipated rainfall. She jumped when she felt a sudden warmth surrounding her along with the crisp scent of leather, something woody, and something else that she had come to recognise as just Sirius. She looked up to see that Sirius had taken off his jacket and draped it over her head and shoulders.
âWhat are you ââ
âShhh, stop whining, Iâm being chivalrous. Itâs what sets me apart, you know,â he said with a wink.
Y/Nâs face warmed despite the chill in the air and she turned back to face the field again, muttering something.
âWhat was that?â Sirius asked, even though heâd heard her well enough the first time.
âI said thank youâŠâ she mumbled.
âSorry, dove, still not getting it.â
âThank you!â she shouted to be heard over the crowd.
âYou are so very welcome,â he said, leaning forward on the railing. Y/N adjusted the jacket so that she could pull it around herself, and her heart fluttered when she noticed Sirius smile at that before looking away again.
The game went on but unfortunately for Y/N and the rest of Slytherin, the Gryffindors had taken the lead. The early success of the Slytherins must have lit a fire underneath the Gryffindors because they started playing even harder, even more daringly, making risky passes and throws that kept on paying off. It gave Sirius an annoying amount of confidence back.
âLooks like theyâve run out of that luck, Y/N,â he said cockily. âMight as well admit defeat now.â
He closed his eyes and held his arms out like he was anticipating and calmly accepting a barrage of curses from her. With his eyes closed, Y/N didnât bother to stop herself from smiling in amusement. But then she saw movement from almost directly above, and she looked up to see Regulus rush past overhead. He had his gaze locked onto something, steely and unwavering. It was damn near impossible to see, especially in the worsening weather, but there was a flash of something shiny and gold. Regulus was after the Snitch.
âOpen your eyes, dingus,â Y/N said, tapping Sirius on the arm. âI want to see the joy leave your eyes when this happens.â
Sirius opened his eyes and looked confused for a moment before he realised what was happening. Regulus was catching up to the Snitch. James had of course taken notice and had already started trying to beat Regulus to it, but he had been too far away to get there quickly enough.
Regulus was getting closer. Y/N clenched her teeth, curled her toes, squeezed her fists; she didnât even realise that she was practically hugging Siriusâ arm by now. Sirius looked away from the match for a moment to glance down at the Slytherin clinging to his arm like a little green barnacle. He chose not to say anything about it, though he felt considerably warmer now than he had a few minutes ago.
The shouts grew louder as Regulus got closer. James was behind him, closer now but still not close enough. Regulus held out his arm, leaning, reaching, trying to inch just a little bit further and he was so close now that just a little nudge would push the Snitch into his hand.
âCome on, Reg, you little bastard, you can do it! Motherfucker â!â Y/N called out, knowing that there was no possible way Regulus could hear her but needing to yell something anyway.
âYour idea of encouragement is giving off a confusing energy!â Sirius said.
Not a second later, Regulus gave one final push forward and swiped his hand through the air before his broom came to a stop. When he raised his hand, a small set of golden wings fluttered out.
The Slytherins erupted into passionate cheers of joy and the win was announced. Regulus catching the Snitch had given them the boost they needed to surpass Gryffindor by a mere twenty points. Y/N cheered along with her housemates and clapped for Regulusâ victory, overcome with the rush that could only be felt at a Hogwarts Quidditch match. She turned to Sirius to take delight in the look of defeat on his face but what she found instead twisted her insides just a bit. Siriusâ eyes were clearly trained on his brother, who was now being embraced by his teammates and excitedly jostled around. Sirius had the smallest of smiles on his face, so subtle that most people wouldnât notice it. He looked somewhat proud, perhaps, but it was a pride that Sirius clearly had a hard time expressing. Mostly, he looked sad. Mournful.
The students eventually began to file out of the stands, some of them heading down to the field to congratulate the players and others going back to the castle. Y/N and Sirius lingered towards the back.
âWell, you guys won. Fair and square,â Sirius said, sounding like the words physically pained him.
âIt was a game well-played on both sides,â Y/N offered. âYou mightâve done better if your Seeker hadnât been trying to show off so much, though.â
Sirius barked out a laugh, shaking his head. He couldnât argue with that even though James was his best friend.
âIn his defence, heâs trying to woo someone and looking cool while flying a broom is apparently one of the approved methods.â
âI get the feeling that Evans wouldnât be too impressed by that,â Y/N said, laughing.
Sirius raised his eyebrows. âYou know Lily?â
âOf course I do, weâre both prefects, but weâre also friendly. Yeah, sheâs told me heaps about you lot.â Lily had indeed spoken here and there about Sirius and his friends, but never at great length. Y/N liked winding Sirius up, though.
âHuh? What does she tell you about me?â Sirius asked.
âMostly okay things,â Y/N said vaguely.
âMostly? Okay? What does that mean?â Sirius asked.
âIt means that most of the things sheâs said about you are okay.â
âI need specifics.â
âIâve got to go congratulate the team,â Y/N said. She began to (somewhat reluctantly) shed Siriusâ jacket. âSee you later. Thanks again,â she said, handing Sirius his jacket and quickly darting towards the stairs.
âWhat does she tell you?â Sirius called out.
âBye!â Y/N waved as she disappeared from sight.
Sirius sighed and put his jacket back on. A smile grew on his face. âWhat an asshole,â he mused fondly.
Y/Nâs hand began to ache as she finished another page of notes for Charms. It was a tedious process but sheâd found that she never quite remembered things well enough unless she wrote them out.
Some of the students in the Great Hall talked amongst themselves â which they were free to do given that it was a weekend â but she had been able to block the noise out and finally, she had found her place of focus. Nothing could distract her now.
âY/N,â Regulus said, poking her roughly on the arm.
âWhat?â She jolted, nearly scratching a dark line of ink across the page. Her steely glare did nothing to deter Regulus and he pointed at the space of the table in front of her where a piece of folded parchment sat.
âWhatâs that?â she asked. Regulus shrugged.
âIt just landed in front of you a moment ago. Canât see who it mightâve come from, though.â
âProbably some idiotâŠâ she trailed off, unfolding the paper.
She wasnât sure what she expected but it certainly wasnât this. On the paper was a small drawing enchanted to move. It was her favourite kind of flower, closing up and then blossoming open again on a loop.
Y/Nâs heart fluttered and she pulled the note closer to herself so that nobody else could peek over at it. It was the first time she had ever received something of this nature â something simple, thoughtful, and sweet. She knew she wasnât the most sought-after girl in Hogwarts; her house and role as prefect were enough to spook off potential admirers from the other houses and, with the exception of Regulus, she wasnât that close with anyone else in her own house. So, she quickly grew suspicious and eager to find out who this note was from and what the intent behind it was.
Her first thought was Regulus. He was her best friend â he would know what her favourite flower was.
âIs this from you?â she asked.
Regulus looked up from his own notes and glanced at the parchment in her hand. âNo. What is it, anyway?â
Y/N hesitated before handing it to him. He looked it over, then flipped the paper to the other side and raised his eyebrows.
âWhat?â
âSomeoneâs got a secret admirer,â he said, passing it back.
The message was short and simple but it made Y/Nâs cheeks burn with an intensity she had never felt before. âYou look pretty today,â with a little smiley face at the end. Her? A secret admirer?
âWhoâs it from?â Regulus asked.
âI donât know, why do you think I asked you?â
Regulus shrugged. âSurely you must have some idea of who it might be.â
âReally, I donât.â She looked along the Slytherin table, trying to find if anybody was watching or looking at all suspicious. Nobody.
With a giddy smile, she tucked the note carefully into her journal for safekeeping, certain that she would be taking it out and looking at it many more times in the coming days. What did it mean? Was it just a friendly note or was there somebody in the school who was actually interested in her?
The notes kept coming and they were different every time. One time there was a quote pulled from her favourite book, another time a lyric from a song she liked. Several of the notes had hilariously bad pick-up lines that never failed to get a smile out of her. âDo you play Quidditch? Because you sure are a Keeper.â Other times, it was a sweet little observation or compliment. Saying her hair looked nice, that she had a sweet smile. And then there were the notes with poorly-drawn but still endearing cartoons. She had kept them all, of course, but she hadnât gotten any closer to figuring out who was sending them. She could do little more than enjoy the rush of butterflies she felt every time she found a new note. They made her feel noticed and, for once in her life, completely unprepared. It was exciting.
Regulus had noticed her sunnier-than-usual disposition. It was a good thing, sure, but it also meant she was more distracted than she usually would be. Unlike Y/N, his suspicions had grown significantly and he was certain that it was his brother sending them. From what he could gather, their study sessions had become less troublesome every time. He could tell because Y/N had stopped complaining about them and almost seemed to look forward to them, even though she had not yet admitted that. Whenever a new note did come, she was too preoccupied with opening and reading it to notice that Sirius was always a safe distance away, trying to pretend he wasnât watching. Regulus had not shared this information with his friend, nor did he intend to. Not until heâd spoken to Sirius first.
He ignored the looks he got from Siriusâ friends when he approached his brother in the halls.
âI need to talk to you,â he said confidently, refusing to let himself be intimidated by the pack of lions.
Sirius looked down at his brother, taken aback.
âSome time today would be nice,â Regulus added after a long silence passed.
Sirius rolled his eyes and nodded, parting from his equally-confused friends.
âWhatâs this about, then? One of our parents finally kick the bucket?â Sirius asked.
Regulus pressed his lips together and exhaled through his nose, staring up at Sirius with no humour in his eyes. âNo. This isnât about our parents. Itâs about Y/N.â
Sirius blinked. âOh.â
âYes. Oh. What are you doing?â
âWhat?â
âWhat are you doing?â Regulus repeated.
âThatâs a very broad question, youâll have to be more specific.â
âI know itâs you whoâs been sending those notes to her,â Regulus said bluntly.
Sirius crossed his arms over his chest. âYou canât prove that.â
âIâm not an idiot, I know itâs you. I just want to know why.â
âWhy? Because I want to, is that a good enough answer for you?â
âI know what youâre like and I especially know what you think of my house. Despite what you may think, Y/Nâs a good person and sheâs just as vulnerable as anyone else,â Regulus blurted. Even a few minutes in his brotherâs presence again was enough to make his composure start to fade away.
âWhat are you insinuating here?â Sirius asked, his irritation steadily growing.
âIâm not insinuating, Iâm saying it outright. I donât know what your endgame is but I know itâs not good. I just never thought youâd be so cruel as to get her hopes up like that.â
Sirius nearly exploded on the spot and just barely managed to stop himself from shoving his brother into the wall. âYou think Iâm just stringing her along?â
âItâs what you do â itâs what youâve always done. Youâre interested in the shiny new thing for a while, then you drop it as soon as something more exciting comes along. Well, guess what? Not all of us can afford to play around with people like that. Not all of us will have an unlimited number of people ready to jump at the chance to be our friend,â Regulus said, clenching his fist around the strap of his bag.
Sirius looked as if heâd been slapped in the face. âWhat, are you jealous or something? Youâre worried Iâm trying to steal your little friend?â
Regulus said nothing. Siriusâ face fell.
âI may be an asshole, but Iâm not that cruel,â Sirius said quietly, his anger reducing as his shoulders sagged.
Regulus shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet Siriusâ eyes any longer. âSheâs the only good friend Iâve got, Sirius.â
Sirius watched his little brother curiously, allowing the anger and hurt heâd felt at Regulusâ accusations to roll off of him. Regulus had not dared to speak with him in a long time but here he was, asking him not to break his friendâs heart. He couldnât be mad at him for that.
âIâŠI understand,â Sirius mumbled awkwardly.
Regulus looked back up with his eyes narrowed.
âIâm not being an ass here, you know,â Sirius added quickly. âI really do like her.â
Regulus scoffed. âSheâs a Slytherin prefect.â
âI know. She drives me crazy.â
Regulusâ face changed when he said that; almost the barest hint of a smile, though Sirius could not understand it.
âYou arenât just saying that?â he asked.
Sirius was quick to shake his head. âNo. Iâll admit she used to bug the shit out of me, but sheâs grown on me considerably these past few months. I wouldnât intentionally lead her on if I didnât like her.â
Regulus nodded slowly.
âAnd to think: this might be the one thing youâve done that our parents would approve of.â
Regulus sat next to Y/N on the sofa in the common room. âItâs Sirius.â
She looked up at him. âWhat?â
âThe notes youâve been getting. Theyâre from my brother.â
Y/Nâs heart jumpstarted in her chest. There was no way that could be trueâŠright?
âHow do you know?â she asked, not quite sure if she even believed it yet.
âI suspected as much, so I asked him about it and he admitted it,â Regulus said, leaving no room for further confusion.
The notes were from Sirius. All those nice things sheâd had said about her were thought up by Sirius Black. He thought she was pretty, that she had a nice smile and nice hair and a sweet laugh. He knew what her favourite flower and book was. How did he know that?
Regulus made no comment on the look of utter disbelief on her face.
âI thought you ought to knowâŠâ he said uncertainly. âI donât know if and when he was planning on coming clean. Didnât want you to keep torturing yourself over trying to figure out who they were from.â
Y/N watched as Regulus avoided her eyes and stared off into the common room. âWhatâs wrong?â
Regulus waved her off.
âHave I done something to upset you?â Y/N asked. She didnât like when Regulus got all quiet and distant.
âNo,â he said quickly. âYou havenât done anything. IâŠâ
âRegulus,â she urged.
âItâs stupid.â
âIâm sure itâs not if itâs upsetting you.â
Regulus tugged at his tie uncomfortably. âI donât think itâs a good idea.â
When Y/N just stared at him in silence, needing more to go on, he sighed and continued.
âLook, he said he really likes you ââ
âHe does?â
ââ and I donât think I doubt him on that, but heâsâŠwell, you know him well enough by now to know what heâs like. Heâs not the most committed type.â
In some ways she knew it was true. Sirius was easily distracted, easily tempted, he struggled to control his impulses just like so many other teenagers at Hogwarts. But in the time theyâd spent studying Potions together, Sirius had actually developed a sense of duty regarding his studies. He certainly didnât flaunt it, maybe because it wasnât âcoolâ enough to fit with his image, but Y/N had noticed. Sirius Black was many things, but he wasnât stupid. She knew that wasnât what Regulus was talking about, however.
âI canât stop you fromâŠdoingâŠwhatever it is that you want to, whether that be, uh, dating, or ââ
Y/N just nodded at Regulus, silently assuring him that she understood and he didnât have to detail all of the possibilities.
âAll I can say, really, is that if you decide toâŠdate him, donât let him mess it up. Donât put up with anything less than complete loyalty.â
Regulus was clearly uncomfortable talking about such a subject so candidly. Y/Nâs heart swelled with the knowledge that he cared that much.
âThank you,â she said, âfor looking out for me, and for worrying about me.â
Regulus gave her a bittersweet smile. âThank you for the same. Youâre the only person who does.â
Y/N looped her arm through Regulusâ and exhaled. âI donât know what will happen with Sirius. I canât believe these words are coming out of my mouth right now, but Iâve actually started to enjoy his company.â
Regulus nodded stiffly and Y/N was quick to wrap up the subject.
âAnyway, what Iâm trying to say is that no matter what happens with Sirius â whether itâs a success or an astounding failure â youâll still be my best friend. Nothing and no one else can touch that.â
Regulus smiled and looked away to hide it. When he did not respond, Y/N squeezed his arm.
âI need to hear you say it, too, Reg. Weâll always be friends, right?â
Sirius found Y/N reading alone in the courtyard on a bench. He waved a hand over the pages of her book to get her attention and Y/N looked up at him.
âWhat do you want?â she snapped, only to wince at her tone. âSorry. Old habits die hard.â
Sirius only grinned and handed her a small piece of folded parchment before turning around and walking away. Y/N stared at it, feeling as if it was burning her fingertips. Well, that was it. The elephant in the room â the one that Y/N had not even realised Sirius knew about much less was responsible for â was finally brought right out into the open air of the courtyard. No more wondering who the notes were from, and no more pretending that she and Sirius didnât like each other as much as they had grown to lately.
She opened the note and read the message scrawled onto it.
âItâs about time you do something spontaneous. Meet me at the Astronomy Tower after curfew.â
Y/N was able to sneak out of the Slytherin common room fairly easily that night. She was not on patrol tonight, so she wouldnât be expected anywhere; it also meant that she knew who was on patrol and where they would be, making it simpler to sneak around the castle.
There was something strangely exhilarating about it. She was doing something she wasnât supposed to be doing and it wasâŠfun? She had to be mindful to be even quieter than usual, careful not to wake the portraits or stumble into an on-duty prefect. Her fellow Slytherins would probably let her off the hook if they found her creeping about given her otherwise spotless history and, admittedly, her houseâs history of showing favouritism, but if she came across a prefect from another house â oh boy. She didnât want to think about it.
There was a faint glow up ahead and she rushed to hide behind a pillar, heart thumping in her chest. When she risked a quick peek, she saw that it was only the ghost of Sir Nicholas floating through the corridor. She waited with bated breath for him to pass into the next hallway before continuing her journey. Sheâd never felt this kind of rush before. It was something else.
When she reached the Astronomy Tower, she quickly but quietly climbed the stairs and once she got to the top, she saw Sirius standing there, tucking away a sheet of parchment into his jacket.
âSo, youâre finally going to kill me?â Y/N joked.
Sirius breathed a laugh and waved her over to the edge of the tower where he sat on the floor, letting his legs dangle over the edge underneath the railing. Y/N followed suit, sat next to him and peered over the edge of the tower to look down at the ground.
âIâve always liked it up here,â she said. It was easier to talk about nothing than directly ask him why he wanted to meet her here.
âYeah?â
âYeah. I love my common room but itâs below ground level, it starts to get a bit drab after a while.â
âOh, right, you lot are surrounded by the Black Lake down there, arenât you?â
âYep. A Grindylow swam past my window in first year, scared the shit out of me ââ
Sirius laughed.
ââ but it grows on you. Itâs calming in a way, really, very quiet. Still, itâs nice to come up here and be high up for a change.â Y/N moved her gaze from the ground far below to the starry night sky above before quickly looking over at Sirius. âDonât you think weâll be caught here? I thought that ââ
âNah. Remus is patrolling this area tonight but I told him to buzz off.â
Y/N sighed and shook her head, smiling.
âHow was it?â Sirius asked, and Y/N knew he was referring to her perilous journey from the common room to the Astronomy Tower.
âI almost got too close to Sir Nicholas at one point, and Iâm pretty sure I heard another prefectâs footsteps somewhere nearby. It was wild.â
Sirius chuckled. âIf thatâs your idea of âwildâ, I wonder what youâd think of sneaking into the forest.â
Y/N whipped her head in his direction. âYou do that?â she asked, forgetting for a moment to lower her volume.
Sirius paused. âNo?â
âUnbelievable.â
âBut, hey, you had fun, right? I saw that little smile on your face when you rushed up the stairs, you canât bury the truth.â
Y/N hid her grin. âIt was alright, I suppose.â
âYou had a grand old time, didnât you?â Sirius asked.
Y/Nâs silence was telling.
Sirius leaned back on his palms. âI knew it.â
âKnew what?â
âThat you had a rebellious streak. Itâs always the strict ones, yâknow. Once you loosen âem up and get that ball rolling, itâs all downhill from there.â
âSirius, no ââ
âY/N, yes ââ
âIt was a one-time thing. Iâve had one taste of unlawfulness and Iâm fully satiated.â
Sirius lolled his head to the side to look at her knowingly. âSure. I bet youâll never again do anything improper or disreputable in your life.â
âWell, trust me â if I do, nobody will ever find out about it.â
Sirius raised an eyebrow before laughing. âSlytherins,â he said, and for the first time, it didnât sound hateful. âSneaky shits, the lot of you.â
âGryffindors,â Y/N bit back. âRoyal shits, the lot of you.â
Siriusâ eyes widened and his face fell as he looked at something behind you.
âProfessor!â he cried, startled.
Y/N gasped and whipped around, clutching her chest, only to find the otherwise empty tower. As Sirius started to laugh, she turned back to him and whacked his arm.
âThatâs not funny! You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!â
Sirius doubled over, hardly able to control his laughter. He managed to catch his breath for a moment and he imitated Y/Nâs reaction, clutching at imaginary pearls and gasping.
âI didnât look like thatâŠâ
Sirius wiped a fake tear from his eye. âAll utterly hilarious jokes aside, thanks for meeting me up here. I wasnât even sure if you would come, to be honest.â
âWhy did you want to meet here, anyway?â She felt her arms tingle with nerves as she waited for his answer.
âWell, you seem to come up here a lot. I figured you liked it up here.â
âHow did â never mind. You know thatâs not what I was asking.â
It was Siriusâ turn to look sheepish, if that was even possible. âJust wanted to spend a bit of time with you. Where we donât have to think about potions or worry about anyone else seeing us.â
âSo, youâre ashamed of being my friend?â
âNo! Thatâs not what I ââ Sirius stopped when he saw the amused glint in Y/Nâs eye. She was only messing about. WaitâŠfriend? âDid you just call me your friend?â Sirius asked.
Y/N fumbled for her answer. âI mean, not friend â maybe frenemy is more apt.â She could feel herself blush when Sirius swung an arm around her shoulder and jostled her slightly.
âIâm alright with that description,â he said, looking out at the stars. âBFFs: best frenemies forever.â
âIâve already told you before not to get ahead of yourself,â Y/N said, even though she found herself leaning into his side, which didnât go unnoticed.
âYeah, well, itâs sort of my thing,â he said, voice growing quieter.
âHow did you know what my favourite flower is? And book? And what songs I like?â Y/N asked suddenly. Her curiosity had been eating away at her ever since the first note.
âYouâre not as much of an enigma as I first presumed.â
Y/N looked up at him questioningly and he shrugged.
âYou, uhâŠsometimes in our tutoring sessions, you hum songs to yourself when youâre concentrating,â he said.
Sirius shook his head. âI think itâs pretty cute, actually. First time you did it, it instantly made you about fifty percent less scary. So, not scary at all anymore.â
âYou thought I was fifty percent scary?â
âDonât sound too proud of yourself, lovie. Also, I could take a wild guess at your favourite flower because you always stop to look at them whenever you see them. And Iâve seen how worn-out the binding of your favourite book is.â
Y/N could feel her heart doubling in size in her chest. âYou noticed all that about me?â
Sirius nodded. âNot always consciously. I justâŠwell, there was a while there, when we were still being dicks to each other. Iâd started to get the feeling that I didnât want us to be like that anymore, but I didnât exactly know what to do about it. So, I just sent you that little note and I know it probably wasnât all that impressive, it was only a small gesture, but you looked so happy that I kept wanting to do it. Even if you didnât know it was me.â
Y/N was thankful that it was dark out and that her face was out of Siriusâ view, because she had a stupidly large smile and felt as if she might begin to cry. It was ridiculous and she had no idea what to say and she hated it and loved it at the same time.
âYou never listen to me, do you?â she sniffled. âI told you that small things make a difference. You have no idea what your notes meant to me.â
Sirius panicked when he heard the sniffle and quickly brought his other arm around Y/N to hold her to him. âShit, I didnât wanna make you cry ââ
Y/N sniffled louder, feeling tears balance precariously on her eyelids as her face was pressed against Siriusâ shoulder. âIâm not crying because Iâm sad, you doink, Iâm just emotional because youâre being really nice to me! And now youâre probably going to think Iâm a mess.â
âPssh, not at all. But if you were a mess, youâd be a very hot one.â
She managed a short laugh, only for it to grow when she saw Sirius grab a fistful of his shirt and hold it out in offering for her to use as a tissue. She declined.
âSoâŠI take it you liked my notes, then?â
Y/N just nodded as she dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her own jumper. âI put them all in my journal so I wouldnât lose them.â
âYou kept them?â Sirius sounded surprised.
âOf course I did. What kind of heartless maniac would throw something like that away?â
âI just didnât take you for the sentimental type, is all. Youâre full of pleasant surprises, arenât you?â
âIâm not the only one,â Y/N said, turning to finally look up at him.
Sirius smiled at her, eyes swimming with something soft and kind and just a touch remorseful. âIâm sorry I wasâŠyou know. Before. I didnât try to know you before I made up my mind about you. Iâm sorry.â
It sounded to Y/Nâs ears like Sirius didnât say those words often, which only made them that much heavier. âIâm sorry, too. I guess we did a pretty poor job of figuring each other out,â she said. She thought back to all the nasty things sheâd ever thought or said about the boy in front of her, and all the nasty things heâd said back. What was the point of any of it?
âIt all seems so stupid now. Childish, the way we acted,â Sirius said.
Y/N nodded pensively. âI suppose thatâs just a part of growing up, isnât it? Doing stupid things and only realising how stupid they are after youâve already done them.â
âMaybe thatâs the only way to figure out what works, sometimes,â Sirius said as he lifted a hand to gently hold the back of her neck. âYou do a lot of stupid things until you find the smart thing to do.â
Sirius stole the air from her lungs when he leaned down and captured her lips in a bruising kiss. She was stunned, paralysed with no idea what to do, but before her stillness could be misinterpreted as rejection, she found her eyes fluttering shut and her lips moving back against Siriusâ of their own accord. Her arms slowly wrapped themselves around his shoulders, hugging her closer to him, and he exhaled through his nose in content. It was like muscle memory, almost; instinctual and natural, like coming home after a long time away and having to slowly remember where everything should be placed.
Siriusâ passion was dizzying and Y/N felt faint from it, making her clutch onto him even tighter, kiss him even harder for something to hold onto. It felt freeing, as if she was unlocking a cage sheâd built around herself and for the first time she could let go of all logic and just let herself be. They parted from each other when oxygen became a necessity and not a moment sooner, but they remained close, foreheads pressed together. Tender smiles bloomed across their faces. Both of them had been wanting to do that for a long time.
âI think Iâd like to know you better,â Sirius said once theyâd caught their breath.
âAnd I think Iâd like you to know me,â Y/N said shyly.
Sirius grinned, pressing another short kiss to her lips. âIâm off to a good start already,â he said. âI already know all of the small things.â
I liked the story, especially the quidditch scene and how their relationship changed. I loved how the conversation between Regulus and Sirius went - I just really enjoyed it!
why in deathly hallows did they have everyone polyjuice themselves into harry when harry could have polyjuiced into a muggle and have been driven to safety away from the threat of death eaters who donât know how to work things in the muggle world
sometimes i really love my fics. i wrote that because i wanted to read it. i love it. nobody visits my fics more than me. they remind me that iâm a hard worker, that i created something. itâs mine and i cherish it and love it because itâs exactly what i wanted so i made it.
and other days iâm crippled by self criticism and hate everything and canât bear to look at my own work because i know itâll never compare to the greats
but i live for the days i love my work. because itâs mine, and i made it. i didnât wait for somebody else to make what i dream about. i went and did it myself.
so donât feel like your work is awful
itâs the stuff you dreamed about. itâs the stuff you decided to make a reality. itâs not about quality, or poetry, or how perfectly your sculpt your words or keep it so deeply in character; because itâs what you dreamed and itâs what you wanted to see, so you made it.
keep writing; itâs yours, and you made it. and if you want to continue to sharpen and improve yourself? then do it. itâs all yours and you can make it whatever you want.